Luke's Individual Contribution Page

Fall 2013 Contributions

Aided in the construction and testing of the five new reactors
Developed a model of particle and biofilm growth in the reactor and its effect on fluidization and settling velocities
Gained knowledge in measurement techniques such as gas chromatography and COD array
Collected daily samples of liquid influent and effluent streams and biogas.
Inoculated and helped in the upkeep of 6 reactors
Tested the the reactors for liquid and gas leaks
Collected and analyzed methane sampling data

Investigated the issues with the current reactor design associated with flow blockage, gas leakage, and low overall COD removal rates
- In hopes of alleviating some of these issues, we are scaling up our reactors by constructing one with a larger inner diameter.
Designed and constructed new larger reactor with a larger diameter
Investigated the value of adding a heating element to reactors to achieve higher microbial activity

Aided the design efforts of the laminar tube flocculator and the turbulent tube flocculator